


Baby, Just Say Yes

by FictionalMindFrame



Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: F/F, proposal, valentine's fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:53:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29400096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FictionalMindFrame/pseuds/FictionalMindFrame
Summary: Valentine's proposal ficProps to @lindaiswho on twitter for the suggestion
Relationships: Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Comments: 11
Kudos: 64





	Baby, Just Say Yes

**Author's Note:**

> happy valentine's  
> Warning, this is very cheesy but I am a soft bitch and also it was written in a rush

Raelle was nervous, she had no idea why, it was completely illogical, but nonetheless she was a ball of nerves. Her and Scylla were  _ already _ married, had eloped over five years ago amidst an ongoing war that neither believed they'd see the other side of. 

Once they'd worked through Scylla's lies, they'd committed to honesty at all times, and their once rocky relationship had gotten better with time. So, in the middle of a war where they were viewed as disposable, it was inevitable that the couple found themselves resentful towards the threat to their future. 

* * *

_ Raelle was content. It would be fleeting, she knew, but right now, in this moment, she could hide from the chaos that awaited them outside the room and savour the comfort of Scylla's skin against her own. _

_ It had been a rough few years, made worse by the knowledge that this war was far from over. Her and Scylla had spent so long trying to get to where they were, had had so many fights and cried too many tears, and still all they had to show for it were the short, quiet moments they could steal between deployments and whatever secret missions Scylla got sent on. It was terrifying, waiting for the day that one of them got the news that the other wasn't coming back. It seemed inevitable, and Raelle was exhausted from being so emotionally on edge for such a long period of time. _

_ She wished she could tuck her anger away in the far recesses of her mind, especially when she had so little time to wrap herself up in the brunette, but she couldn't escape her bitterness.  _

_ "What's going on in that head of yours? You're disrupting my beauty sleep."  _

_ The words were muffled by her neck and paired with a thumb trailing back and forth on her waist. _

_ Raelle scoffed despite her stewing frustration, a small, pained smile on her face, "As if you need beauty sleep. Dunno if I can take you getting any more beautiful, my heart might just give out." _

_ The hand at her waist squeezed, "No jokes about your heart, please." _

_ "Still too soon?" _

_ "It'll always be too soon." Raelle pressed a kiss to the crown of the brunette's head, partially to soothe her own worries and partially to soothe Scylla's. _

_ "Don't dodge the question, Rae, what's bothering you?" _

_ She pulled the blanket further up around them, needing something to do, and settled her arm back across Scylla's back. _

_ "The usual. I'm tired of fighting." She paused to let herself relish in the gentle kiss pressed against her neck before speaking again, "I don't wanna keep fighting until one of us doesn't come home, I just wanna have a life. Find a home, get married, get old and grey and forgetful. And instead all I can think about is how afraid I am everytime one of us leaves. What if we never get any of those things, Scyl? What if we never get to buy a house or go to that beach? What if I never get to call you my wife?" _

_ Scylla didn't say anything for a while, maybe a minute, maybe ten. But her arms tightened around Raelle's body, and now it was Raelle that could hear thoughts swirling around Scylla's head. Eventually though, Scylla's hand stopped its calming strokes and the brunette whispered against the column of the blonde's throat, "So let's do it." _

_ Confused, and having lost her train of thought from their conversation during the silent interlude, Raelle's fingers continued to play with the brown hair splaying across her shoulder, "Do what?" _

_ "Get married. We could do it before you leave Wednesday. There must be a matrimonialist somewhere on base. And I know it's not enough time to get your dad here, but Tally and Abigail could come. We could do it."  _

_ Scylla's voice stayed hushed the entire time, clearly anticipating a refusal. But chaotic as everything in their lives was and as mad as it sounded, Raelle wanted it. Maybe that chaos was why she wanted it. Something to ground her while their lives hung in the balance. _

_ She needed something more to hold onto when she was deployed. Needed a reason to keep fighting, and something to cling to if one day Scylla didn't make it back.  _

_ It was ridiculous really - technically, it wouldn't change anything. Scylla was already constantly in her head reminding her to come home safe, not to take too much, not to be too reckless. And some new title wouldn't assuage any of the pain she'd feel if Scylla didn't return. They both already knew how they felt, what they meant to each other.  _

_ And yet, somehow, it would change something. And now that the notion was planted, Raelle wanted it.  _

_ Her words were whispered too, to preserve the sanctity of the moment, the quiet, private slice of time that was truly theirs and no one else's, "Let's do it." _

_ Scylla pulled out of her shoulder and propped herself up on her elbow, smiling wide with a mesmerising gleam in her eyes, "Really?" _

_ "Yeah. We can sort it out in the morning, two days is loads of time. I'll call pops and explain, but he loves you, he'll understand." _

_ She should've been used to Scylla's kiss by then, but she didn't think she ever would be. It was chaste relative to the others they'd shared that evening, but still, when Scylla pulled back, Raelle felt a little dizzy. _

_ Smile morphing into a smirk, Raelle teased, "You know, you mentioned Abigail and Tally, but we both know you want Anacostia to be there. And she'll be pissed if you don't invite her." _

_ Scylla didn't answer, instead she rolled her eyes and kissed Raelle again. The blonde knew where this was going, could feel it in the way Scylla kissed her, in the way she shifted from her propped position to settle fully over Raelle's body, one hand tracing delicate lines across her stomach. For the first time since she'd seen Scylla in those chains under the necro building, Raelle thought maybe her contentment wouldn't be quite so fleeting. _

* * *

And yet, here she was, nervous. She'd been planning for weeks, used Tally as a sounding board and pulled all the favours she had at Fort Salem to get the time off. It was easier now than it would've been before the war ended and conscription was abolished, but with so many dying in the war or leaving after it, there were far fewer fixers left on base than anyone was comfortable with. It had been easier to get Scylla the week off. Once she was pardoned and free to do what she pleased, she ended up doing necro research with Izadora, completely separate from the Military.

So they'd taken the week for themselves, heading safely away from their frantic life at Salem to a private beach house for a full week, and if Scylla had any suspicions about the getaway Raelle had been so insistent on, they were easily disregarded with the weak excuse of Valentine's day. A civilian holiday it may be, but Raelle's parents had always celebrated when her mother was home, and dodgers tended to adopt civilian holidays to blend in. It didn't matter though, because Scylla had agreed almost immediately, no hesitation or questions asked.

And it had been a good trip, but the closer it got to today, the more noticeable the twisting in her stomach got. Surely Scylla had noticed, but the brunette had gotten good at knowing when Raelle needed to talk and when she needed time before being pushed, so instead Scylla had spent the week offering soft touches and inviting smiles any time Raelle started to get stuck in her head.

She'd woken up first this morning, a rarity though neither slept particularly well at all, and had the picnic ready to go and in it's basket by the time her wife had padded into the small kitchen, covered only by Raelle's flannel. 

They'd been busy well into the morning, and by now the afternoon sun was high in the sky, making the waves glisten as Raelle glanced out the window. It was a perfect spring day.

Scylla stopped at the end of the counter, eyebrow quirked at the basket there as Raelle poured her coffee into a mug. The blonde carried the mug to her and gently pressed their lips together as she handed it over. 

Hand on the lid of the basket, she smiled at the brunette, trying to hide her nerves, "Picnic date on the beach. And as much as I like that outfit, I don't think either of us will get around to eating the actual food if you don't change."

"And what if I changed into a bikini?"

"Nope, still too distracting."

Scylla brushed loose hair out of Raelle's face with a smile, "Love you."

"Love you too, Scyl."

"I'll go get ready," Another quick peck, "Thanks for the coffee baby."

Scylla went to leave, but Raelle pulled her back for a final parting kiss, happy to be able to take her time for once. 

She double and then triple checked that everything was where it was supposed to be and then started moving things out to their favourite stretch of the beach, stubbornly ignoring the swirling in her stomach.

Scylla walked down the stairs not long later, looking as perfect as she always did, if not more. It had changed over time, her reaction to the woman. It used to be nerves and awe that came over her, and that had slowly morphed into comfort and awe. It was nice, and at that moment perfectly settled the quickened beat of Raelle's heart. 

Scylla smiled at her expression, well used to Raelle's need to take her in, no longer blushing under it like she had when they'd gotten back together initially. Now, she just smiled and stared right back with the same adoration, finally acclimated to being  _ seen _ . 

When she'd looked for long enough, Raelle grabbed the brunette's hand and kissed the back of it, "You're so beautiful."

Scylla looked at her with a grin, "Never heard that one before."

"Well, you are."

"I've got to keep up with you somehow. Am I acceptably clothed?"

"You're perfect. Although now that you mention it, maybe we should put a bag over your head, just to be sure I don't get too tempted."

Scylla playfully shoved her shoulder, rolling her eyes at the same time, "Come on, you dork."

It was perfect, but she'd planned it that way. They had all their favourite picnic appropriate foods, Scylla's favourite wine, and right before they started dessert - a lemon meringue Raelle had spent all morning trying to get right despite being inept in the kitchen, because Scylla loved it - Raelle lifted two champagne flutes out of the basket.

Her and Scylla had always talked about getting rings despite it not being commonplace amongst witches, but they'd never actually gotten around to doing it. They'd come close a few times, but between deployments and the disarray of the year and a half since the war ended, it hadn't happened. 

And if Raelle wanted to ask Scylla to do the whole wedding thing a second time, so that they could do it right this time, then there was no world where she wasn't doing it with rings.

She'd picked it out weeks ago, Tally at her side, and had been paranoid about Scylla finding it since. Thankfully, Scylla never went anywhere near Raelle's office on base, accepting that Raelle still worked there but despising it all the same, so keeping it locked in a drawer there that no one else had access to worked a trick. 

Scylla was staring at her, as she was prone to doing, but Raelle was twisted around to the basket behind her so that her body blocked her hands. When she turned to her wife with two full champagne glasses and passed one over, her nerves reared again.

Maybe this was silly. They were already married and had been for years. What if Scylla thought it was dumb? Either way, it was too late now.

Scylla paused as she raised the flute to her lips, knowing smirk on her face as she looked up to meet Raelle's eyes, "I  _ knew  _ you were up to something. You'd never ask me to put on more clothes."

Scylla downed her drink, an impressive feat given all the bubbles, and fished out the ring at the bottom. 

Raelle took the empty glass out of Scylla's hand and replaced it with her own hand, squeezing lightly as she chuckled, "No, I wouldn't. I know we already did the handfasting thing, and we agreed to life so this might all seem silly, but I wanna marry you properly Scyl, with a big party and everyone we love and you in a dress… if that's what you want, you could wear your pyjamas for all I care. I love you so much, and I love our life, but I think we deserve the whole nine yards. So what do you say, marry me again?"

The brunette nodded emphatically, passing the ring to Raelle and holding her hand splayed out, "Want to do the honours?"

So she did. And then she was pulled in by her cheeks to a kiss that left them both breathless and ended with Scylla giggling.

"What's so funny?"

"You just proposed on Valentine's day, you're so cheesy."

"Yeah well, you like it."

"Yeah, I do."


End file.
